Today the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to update how grizzly bears are listed and managed under the Endangered Species Act. In response, PERC shared the following statement:
The science is clear: grizzly populations in the Greater Yellowstone and Northern Continental Divide ecosystems have rebounded to healthy levels more than double their recovery target and should be delisted. Today’s decision penalizes conservation by holding the expansion of these populations against their delisting. The Endangered Species Act process is broken when it ignores science and punishes rather than rewards recovery.
The silver lining to today’s unfortunate news is that the Service intends to update federal regulations to give states and landowners more tools to manage grizzly bears. We plan to remain engaged as the Service prepares updated rules related to private lands and landowner tools. PERC has long championed the more creative and flexible use of regulations for threatened species to reward recovery progress.
